Mikel Arteta made a brutal call on a once promising Arsenal career
Mikel Arteta
Mikel Arteta discarded a former fans' favourite(Image: Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
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Mikel Arteta went against the advice of Arsenal coaches by dismissing a player he had allowed to join Atletico Madrid. Lucas Torreira arrived from Sampdoria in a £27million transfer to the Gunners, then under Unai Emery's management, following an impressive showing for Uruguay at the 2018 World Cup.
The midfielder enjoyed a promising start to his Arsenal stint, swiftly winning over supporters before injuries and managerial upheaval worked against him. After struggling for playing opportunities in his second campaign at the club, which saw Arteta succeed the dismissed Emery, he was sent out to the Gunners' Champions League semi-final opponents.
Arsenal tried to sell him outright but with Atletico reluctant to make that commitment, a loan move was the middle ground. Midway through Torreira's loan spell, having found it difficult to secure a regular spot in Diego Simeone's team, reports surfaced that he was dissatisfied in Spain.
Meanwhile, Arteta was prepared to sever all links with Torreira to enable him to finalise a permanent transfer elsewhere. At the time, according to Sky Sports, multiple Arsenal coaches remained on good terms with Torreira and opposed Arteta's stance on the player.
Speaking about Torreira's circumstances at the time, the Gunners' then sporting director, Edu, told Spanish publication AS: "The situation is very simple. Arsenal are concerned about Torreira, his happiness, that he plays and that he is well.
"We want to know about him, how he feels and, later, of course, know what Atletico thinks. For us, Lucas and his happiness are what's more important.
"If everyone is happy, we will continue like this. If Lucas is not well, we will look for a change because there are many teams that are calling me to ask about the player's situation."
Lucas Torreira (centre) with Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang after the Europa League defeat to Chelsea in 2019
Torreira (centre) with Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang after the Europa League defeat to Chelsea in 2019(Image: Getty Images)
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Torreira ultimately secured another loan switch, to Fiorentina, before finally cutting all connections with the Gunners by signing for Galatasaray on a permanent basis in 2022. Now 30, he continues to play for the Turkish side.
Torreira acknowledged his transfer was driven by a need to guarantee regular first-team action before the 2022 World Cup. He said: "I had to have continuity for the World Cup. That's why I decided to go to Turkey and Galatasaray.
Lucas Torreira
Lucas Torreira(Image: Ahmad Mora - UEFA via Getty Images)
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"Their project ended up convincing me. And it's very important for a player like me to continue having continuity, as I had last season."
Torreira is now preparing for his third World Cup appearance with Uruguay, who face Saudi Arabia, Cape Verde and Spain in their group.
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